I was just watching an interview upon breakfast, about a 70 years old local radio. And the current radio's director was talking about how many material (reels, documents, tapes, etc...) they have lost due to lack of conservancy... That suddenly made me worry about the material in the vault.

Don't you think it would be a very nice idea to the ZFT to organize a FZ FUNDATION, to gather money towards keeping the memory and works of FZ alive?

They could raise money with private third parties and use it towards the complete organization and maintenance of the vault (an inventory), towards a better remuneration of the vaultmeiste, it could help to subsideze future releases (more historical and sociological relevance then commercial relevance) and eventually they could build a nice FRANK ZAPPA MUSEUM. What do you think, is it feasible?

I think right now, having a Zappa foundation is semi worthless. His immediate family is still profitting of of his works, releasing things as they see fit, and Zappa is as much in the public's conscience as he ever was.

I think Mr Green Genes is making a good point here. We are told about prohibitive costs for certain projects that might be released in the near future but are being delayed because of these costs, meanwhile there are suposedly countless tapes that are aging in the background of the ones currently under the spotlight.

_________________The way I see it Barry, this should be a very dynamite show.

I once wrote to FZ expressing my concern that all the vault material might end up in the dirt if they had a natural disaster (considering that LA is earthquake prone).
Gail sent me a leaflet outlining the availability and costs of getting scores of FZ's output.
Maybe only FZ himself had the knowledge to know what was worth listening to amongst all those tapes, although I am sure, like me, there are many individuals who would like to hear the recordings that have never made it to album.

Do you ever wonder if Ahmet, Dweezil or Moon spend time trawling through his tapes?
I do.

it ain't gonna happen unless some billionaire zappafreek
with an extra $50 mil decides to take the initiative and fund it like paul allen did for hendrix/experience project in seattle, or somehow get tax exempt status so fundraisers could go out & get big donations

maybe dweezil spends time listening to frank's archives, but the other kids probably don't

I have no problem with Gail and the children making their living and meeting their expenses for life in general from their asset. I do feel positive towards a long term arrangement such that the archive is preserved and maintained as any composer with a body of work deserves. There are one or two billionaire FZ freaks that may be interested if a workable structure can be reached. Not sure about public funding in the USA, or even a way of the American Inland revenue finding a solution, but then again I know that these things happen in the bizarre world of US tax affairs. I know that Robert Fripp has a Collectors Club that seems to raise funds for making availible King Crimson recordings, I believe this was a way of books being published 150 years ago : by subscription in the UK. I like the idea of a Frank Zappa collectors club, and the idea of subscribing to one. What a shame he is not around to make use of the Internet, as a micro-method to disseminate his product. I feel that the Zappa family have not made effective use of this, especially as the numbers of people who visit this forum seem to suggest

Don't be silly about Gail & the kids "profiteering" off Frank's tapes & whatnots--would he have wanted them to either discard or sell off the rights to the Vault? Nonsense.

Whether or not a museum is ever built, FZ lives, on the net and in our hearts & minds. I wrote a piece a while back explaining this in pop culture, cheezy epistemologiezy terminology (Frank Zappa Lives--and so does Frodo...), but it's self-evident both here in this board and the larger(?) world. Any time we're confronted with the hypocrisy of plastic people, we immediately ask, "What would Frank say?", not WWJD (although the two might not be as far apart as has been suggested--despite, maybe even because of Cosmic Debris, there was an undeniable cosmic consciousness that FZ tapped into. Gail knows this, and so do you all--it's what allowed his genius to manifest itself in his music and in our heads. It certainly isn't the typical Californian 39.95 variety, and Frank was as un-guru as he could be, but it's there alright, floating on that sofa...)

Any ideas as to how to contact Gail & Moon? Gail for expressions of solidarnosc, Moon to chat about her book, which I finally just read...

it ain't gonna happen unless some billionaire zappafreek with an extra $50 mil decides to take the initiative and fund it like paul allen did for hendrix/experience project in seattle, or somehow get tax exempt status so fundraisers could go out & get big donations

maybe dweezil spends time listening to frank's archives, but the other kids probably don't

I wonder whether it would really take one loaded party? I think once the word got out and things were fully put together, who knows? Of course having proceeds go towards the project certainly wouldn't hurt either!

Don't be silly about Gail & the kids "profiteering" off Frank's tapes & whatnots--would he have wanted them to either discard or sell off the rights to the Vault? Nonsense.

But as far as I was aware Frank didn't care if he was remembered or whether his music lived on. So there goes your argument.

I hate to sound cynical and I doubly hate to question Frank's word, but c'mon... how could he have worked his whole life on a body of work and not cared if it lived on? I think he was just being humble, which is an honorable attitude to have, but everyone is vain to some extent, whether or not we admit it. Why do people create art? "Hey Mom, look at me! Look at me!" That's the primal impetus behind it, I think.

Please don't take insult at this - I know I may be crossing the "artistic integrity" line, but I was a philosophy major in college and I can't help but analyze things until the magic's all gone. Plus, I'm in a crappy mood today.

_________________Let's hear it again for the London Philharmonic Orchestra!

Don't be silly about Gail & the kids "profiteering" off Frank's tapes & whatnots--would he have wanted them to either discard or sell off the rights to the Vault? Nonsense.

But as far as I was aware Frank didn't care if he was remembered or whether his music lived on. So there goes your argument.

I hate to sound cynical and I doubly hate to question Frank's word, but c'mon... how could he have worked his whole life on a body of work and not cared if it lived on? I think he was just being humble, which is an honorable attitude to have, but everyone is vain to some extent, whether or not we admit it. Why do people create art? "Hey Mom, look at me! Look at me!" That's the primal impetus behind it, I think.

Please don't take insult at this - I know I may be crossing the "artistic integrity" line, but I was a philosophy major in college and I can't help but analyze things until the magic's all gone. Plus, I'm in a crappy mood today.

Well, Philosopher Feet, who would've thought it? You know, other than people that know him personally. Nevermind...

Yes, yes Frank had a huge ego (it's true, don't deny it), but still I know there's the whole attention thing behind what a lot of people do, I'm just not sure if Frank did it for that. Obviously when he discovered an audience then he knows he's going to have people listen to it, but when he first began composing it was most likely that hardly anyone would ever hear it. I don't know whether the fame did change him or whatever but I think there's at least some truth to what he said.

Don't be silly about Gail & the kids "profiteering" off Frank's tapes & whatnots--would he have wanted them to either discard or sell off the rights to the Vault? Nonsense.

But as far as I was aware Frank didn't care if he was remembered or whether his music lived on. So there goes your argument.

I hate to sound cynical and I doubly hate to question Frank's word, but c'mon... how could he have worked his whole life on a body of work and not cared if it lived on? I think he was just being humble, which is an honorable attitude to have, but everyone is vain to some extent, whether or not we admit it. Why do people create art? "Hey Mom, look at me! Look at me!" That's the primal impetus behind it, I think.

Please don't take insult at this - I know I may be crossing the "artistic integrity" line, but I was a philosophy major in college and I can't help but analyze things until the magic's all gone. Plus, I'm in a crappy mood today.

Well, Philosopher Feet, who would've thought it? You know, other than people that know him personally. Nevermind...

Yes, yes Frank had a huge ego (it's true, don't deny it), but still I know there's the whole attention thing behind what a lot of people do, I'm just not sure if Frank did it for that. Obviously when he discovered an audience then he knows he's going to have people listen to it, but when he first began composing it was most likely that hardly anyone would ever hear it. I don't know whether the fame did change him or whatever but I think there's at least some truth to what he said.

I agree he did it mainly for himself, even after he acquired a large(ish) audience. The man did have integrity, that's for sure. I remember reading something to the effect that he wrote stuff like he did because it's what he wanted to hear, and since no one else was writing it, he did it himself. But so much effort went into it, that it seems absurd that he wouldn't care if everyone just threw it all in the trash once he died - I'm sure he was too proud of his work to wish it to be dismissed like that.

For some reason, I'm reminded of the Residents, who for their second album (so the legend goes) recorded an entire piece (now known as "Not Available") and then stored it away, never intending to release it in the first place. It was an exercise in an ego-less process of creation, creating something for no intended audience at all, based on the premise that one sacrifices his true natural artistic impulses when creating art with an audience in mind. Eventually Ralph Records did release it, but by then the Residents had "forgotten it existed" so the they didn't mind. An interesting way to work, assuming it's not just a bunch of BS cooked up to fuel the Residents' myth. It is my favorite album of theirs by far though - and sounds very different from the rest of their material.

My point (I have a point?) is that such ego-free creation of art is definitely difficult to do without taking extreme measures like the Residents did and literally recording something with no intention to release it. BUT, even in their case, it's hard to imagine the Residents making that album without thinking at least once, "Will so-and-so like this?" or even "Will people be really blown away by how out-there this is?"

Bla Bla Bla... ok, enough from me.. This is worse than some of my term papers.

_________________Let's hear it again for the London Philharmonic Orchestra!

just do as metallica, relase everything in download format, relase the whole zappa catalog in vinyl and then do a couple of business deals with itunes store and stuff and for the real zappa freaks relase all of the zappa interviews, and yeah by the way when does the zappa radio coming up agian?!

just do as metallica, relase everything in download format, relase the whole zappa catalog in vinyl and then do a couple of business deals with itunes store and stuff and for the real zappa freaks relase all of the zappa interviews, and yeah by the way when does the zappa radio coming up agian?!

I don't know if you've seem pictures of the vault, but releasing all of the projects and shows properly, especially if they were attempted to be released in a timely manner, would be virtually impossible as far as I'm concerned.

just do as metallica, relase everything in download format, relase the whole zappa catalog in vinyl and then do a couple of business deals with itunes store and stuff and for the real zappa freaks relase all of the zappa interviews, and yeah by the way when does the zappa radio coming up agian?!

I don't know if you've seem pictures of the vault, but releasing all of the projects and shows properly, especially if they were attempted to be released in a timely manner, would be virtually impossible as far as I'm concerned.

For some reason, I'm reminded of the Residents, who for their second album (so the legend goes) recorded an entire piece (now known as "Not Available") and then stored it away, never intending to release it in the first place.

I've always thought that that was totally fictionalized. It does not sound like a product of the 70's.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum